Maine permit test: seat belts & equipment

Seat belts, child restraints, air bags, mirrors and required equipment. 6 questions.

Question 1 of 6
Seat belts & equipmentMaine rule

Is it against Maine law to drive without wearing a safety belt?

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Sample seat belts & equipment questions

  1. Is it against Maine law to drive without wearing a safety belt?

    • A No, it is only a recommendation
    • B Yes, the driver must wear a safety belt
    • C Only on interstate highways
    • D Only if the car you are driving has no air bags
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    B. Yes, the driver must wear a safety belt

    In Maine it is against the law to drive without a safety belt, and every passenger must be belted or in a child seat. Belts keep you behind the wheel and in control during a crash.

    Source: Maine Driver's License Manual, page 40

  2. You are driving with a child who weighs 40 pounds. How must the child be secured?

    • A In a lap and shoulder belt only
    • B In a child safety seat
    • C On an adult's lap with a belt around both
    • D In the front seat with the air bag turned on
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    B. In a child safety seat

    Maine requires a child who weighs less than 55 pounds to be secured in a child safety seat. The seat should be held in place by the vehicle's belts, and the child buckled in correctly.

    Source: Maine Driver's License Manual, page 42

  3. A 7-year-old weighs 65 pounds. Under Maine law, how must the child ride?

    • A In the vehicle's seat belt alone
    • B In a rear-facing infant seat
    • C In a federally approved child restraint system, such as a booster
    • D In the front seat with the belt only
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    C. In a federally approved child restraint system, such as a booster

    A child who weighs at least 55 but less than 80 pounds and is under 8 must be secured in a federally approved child restraint system. This kind of system raises the child so the lap and shoulder belt fit properly.

    Source: Maine Driver's License Manual, page 43

  4. Under Maine's seat belt law, which child must ride in the rear seat if possible?

    • A A child under 8, whatever their weight
    • B A child under 16 who weighs less than 120 pounds
    • C A child under 10 who weighs less than 80 pounds
    • D Any child under 12, whatever their weight
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    D. Any child under 12, whatever their weight

    Maine law (29-A MRSA §2081) requires the driver to make sure a child under 12 rides in the rear seat if possible. The older 100-pound limit still quoted in the manual was removed in 2019. Front air bags can seriously injure young children, so the back seat is the safest place.

    Source: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Department of the Secretary of State) website